"Sigh..." The morning was still a nightmare to wake up to and Arisa was groaning as she forced herself of her comfy bed.
Waking up early around 7 am was still a habit no matter how many moons passed since her mercenary days. Sothis was snoring next to her and curled into a ball like a cat. She carefully got up and went to the restroom to wash her face. After that was done, she put on her cloak and went to the balcony. One thing she forgot when she opened those doors.
"Jesus fucken Christ! It's cold!" She screamed and quickly shut the doors.
She forgot how cold it was in the morning in Faerghus. At least that made her fully wake up along with Sothis. The goddess growled since she hated being woken up rudely but saw it was Arisa.
"You forgot it's cold in the morning, didn't you?" She said and Arisa nodded as she dragged her feet to put on her shoes.
"I'm going to go on a walk in the garden like I used to. Want to come?" She says as she heads to the bathroom to shower.
"Oh, it has been years since we have seen the garden." Sothis smiled, "Yes, I will come."
[—-]
Arisa smiled softly as she walked through the royal garden. The place was somewhat built like a maze but thankfully she learned the pathway quickly when she was here. During her time in Fhiriad 5 years ago, she would wake up early and walk around the garden. Back then, there weren't so many flowers that bloomed during different seasons. Back then, there weren't so many fruit trees that bloomed in different seasons. Arisa couldn't help but walk up to one of the mandarin trees and pluck a few of the fruits.
"It's a bit strange seeing a mandarins tree in Faerghus." She muttered as she was walking and peeling the fruit, "I haven't seen one of these in 17 years." She muttered and plopped a small slice of the fruit in her mouth.
With the tangy and sour taste, she started to cry. Sothis looked at her worried as she laughed softly, the woman wiped her eyes as she looked at the fruit in her hands. A piece and memory of her old home.
"I'm alright." Arisa muttered, "But I am curious as to why there mandarin trees. These trees grow in Sreng." She said as she continued walking.
Now that she took a closer look at the garden, she began to notice many different things. There were tiger lilies, mandarin trees, a pound with black koi fish, even silk flowers. All of them come from Sreng. She kept walking until she heard voices. It was coming from the direction of the first consort's tree. Arisa and Sothis carefully walked behind the hedges and peaked out a bit.
"And now he's been skipping his meals and I had to grab him by the ear!"
"You know paperwork was never his best thing."
"That's Lady Hira." Sothis whispered as they saw the woman standing beside another.
However, the woman Lady Hira was speaking to looked different. Long straight black hair that stopped at her waist, a stoic face with purple-colored eyes, and red pigment on her lips. Her skin was pale with a light blush. But the clothing she wore was a brown fur cloak over a black kimono and she wore fur boots.
"And then there's Clara who's been nothing but a spoiled brat asking Rufus for more jewelry!" Lady Hira complained while the stoic woman listened, " How do you do it, Regina...? How do you not pop a blood vessel?"
"Oh, are we listening to royal family gossip!" Sothis squealed, "Oh, this is going to get juicy."
Regina slightly turned her head back and Arisa and Sothis became still as stones. The woman then turned back to Lady Hira and spoke. Her voice calm and hardly any emotion.
"I mostly focus on Rufus. Sigh...the man is a disaster and needs us to help him. Clara and Sara are no help and it is up to us to make sure the land runs well. We are his pillars of support. And that is our roles as concubines of Faerghus." Regina said and Lady Hira sighed.
"Sometimes I wish things were still the same as four years ago. Lambert, Patricia, the children all running around. The lessons and hearing Emily grab Cornelia by the hairs instead of worrying about bandit attacks, politics, human trafficking, and all that. Sigh...I'm just so tired." Arisa could see Lady Hira's true age just by how tired the woman looked.
"At least we aren't in a concubine war. Tell me, do Fodlan houses always have bloody marriage histories?" Regina said and Hira snorted.
"House Nohr had a Concubine War two hundred years ago and I believe House Gautier as well." Lady Hira said.
They were silent for a moment till Lady Regina spoke.
"Tell me Hira, do you believe everything will be better once Dimitri becomes King?" Regina said and Hira shook her head.
"Not right away. But, just seeing him grow up and seeing the bonds he has created. Already he is taking action in the investigation of Cornelia. I think he had some help though. That boy has a burden on him, they all do. But I do believe them work together, the country will become better and heal as the years go by." Lady Hira finished and Regina nodded.
"I'm going to head back to the palace. And you?" Lady Hira asked.
"I will stay here for a bit longer. I like this cold. It reminds me of the Spring in Sreng." Regina smiled softly.
"Alright, I'll see you soon." Lady smiled and waved goodbye.
Arisa couldn't believe what she heard but she couldn't help but smile. Even if things don't get better right away in the Kingdom, she was glad that Dimitri, Lestia, and Zander had support. That they believe in them.
"Let's go back," Arisa whispered and right when she was about to move.
"Did you have fun listening? Come out. I know you're there."
"And we were caught." Sothis and Arisa slumped and they shyly walked out from behind the hedges.
"Hi..." Arisa waved nervously and the woman looked at her with a blank face.
"How much did you hear?" Regina asked and Arisa gulped.
"About half the conversation," Arisa muttered and the woman nodded as she turned to look at the tree.
"If you were a stranger, I would have ordered the guards to take you away for listening to the conversation between concubines." Regina said as she closed her eyes, "But you are not a stranger." She turned to Arisa and gently placed her hand on her heart.
Arisa was surprised to sue the woman and bow to her politely.
"It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Lady Kiana. I am Regina Otranto, King Rufus's concubine. Unfortunately, we did not get to meet 5 years ago till now. " Regina said and Arisa frantically shook hands.
"Lady Regina! No need to bow! Also, I do not go by Kiana. Um...My real name is Arisa. It is a pleasure to meet you and I am also sorry for using a different name." Arisa said and the woman chuckled a bit.
"So I was right. Kiana was a fake name you were using." The woman said and Arisa looked at her surprised, "Kiana is a common name used in the Sreng High Clans to name the daughters after the Moon Goddess. It is a foreign name in Fodlan."
"She figured us out fast," Sothis muttered.
"Was I that obvious?" Arisa fiddled with her fingers and Regina opened her eyes a bit.
"To a normal Fodlan citizen, no. To someone from Sreng, yes." She said and Arisa looked at her a bit surprised.
"I had no idea Lord Rufus took someone from Sreng as a bride. I thought the countries weren't on good terms." Arisa said as the woman allowed her to stand next to her.
"Just a little bit of peace between our nations is a miracle." Regina said as she closed her eyes, "There was an accident 10 years ago. A young boy of Faerghus was abandoned in the mountains by a relative of his. The boy was on the verge of death when he was found by one of our people. We took him in and helped him get better. The boy we later learned was a Gautier." She said as she opened her eyes again, "My clan...we are the ones that saved him. My elder brother suggested we kill the boy to show Margrave Gautier that the rage of our people has not quelled for taking away our land. I said we should return the boy and try to form some sort of peace treaty. We also had no chance against Faerghus because of the huge military power they had as well as they had ancient powers of the Gods, The Lance of Ruin." She turned to Arisa.
"The longer we kept the boy, it was only going to be a matter of time till war between Gautier and Sreng broke out. The boy...hm." She smiled a bit, "He was a good boy. He had suffered a lot. So I decided to teach him something that will help him survive. Fire magic." She sighed, " Unfortunately during the time my clan trying to come up with a peace treaty, the royal family became involved. So, to make things right, I decided to do what no one of the women in the clan wanted to do, marriage." Arisa looked at her worried.
" We shall return the boy, but as a peace offering, I offer my daughter, The First Princess of Sreng, her hand in marriage." My father said. King Lambert chose not to take me as his wife but his brother did. Even if I am concubine, I am still a political prisoner in a way." Regina looked to her, "The trees, flowers, and fish, Rufus brought those here. He wanted me to feel a bit closer to home. He accommodated me a bit." She smiled.
"Lady Regina, I know this may sound...a bit rude but...what do you think of Fodlan and its people?" Arisa asked and Lady Regina shook her head.
"The people of Fodlan are closed-minded. If one is not of Fodlan, they see them as savages and are sneered at. I speak from personal experience. I know what it is like to be spit at and treated horribly. Those were my early days with the staff of the castle as well as my encounter with some citizens." She placed her hand on her forehead, "Attacks from people were no different."
"What?!" Sothis screeched while Arisa looked at her surprised and worried, "How could people be so cruel?! Well, I guess this was one reason why I used to hate humans." She huffed, "I'm gonna go haunt the staff. Can I?"
"Permission granted?"
"Permission granted."
Sothis began cackling as she flew towards the castle. Regina sighed as she looked to the sky.
"Fodlan has a long way to go if they wish to make their land better. But...the new generation, I have hope for them." She said.
"You mean us. Me, Dimitri, Lestia, Zander, and our friends." Arisa said and Regina nodded.
"You kids are already doing what the adults of this time fail to do. You listen. You observe. You ask questions and try to find the answers. The future of Fodlan won't improve overnight but as the years go by. When Dimitri becomes King, when the Reigan boy becomes the new Duke, and when young Edelgard becomes Emperor, I truly believe they will open new paths and make Fodlan a better place. There will always be disagreements. There will be times where you just want to run away. Political parties make things difficult but I know they will be able to overcome the challenges." She turned to her and held Arisa's hand, "You are their guide. I know you will guide them well, not only as their professor but as their friend." She smiled.
"Aren't you putting too much faith in me?" Arisa whispered, "I'm just one girl. I've done things I can't speak of. I've hidden things from them. I'm known as the Ashen Demon. Is it alright for someone like me to stand beside them?" She asked.
"We've all done things we are not proud of." Regina smiled, "The question is, will you let it weigh you down?"
[—]
"Good morning everyone." Arisa said as she arrived at the dining room, "Did I miss anything?" She said she sat down next to Mercedes.
"Not much." Claude said as he took a sip of his juice, "Seteth and the others are speaking with the king regarding Cornelia's case as well as extending the investigation to the Empire and Alliance."
"If her actions affected other people outside The Kingdom, then it is only right to extend the investigation," Dimitri said as he cut into his breakfast.
"Do you think she may have something to do with...um..." Ashe looked over to Lysithea, who just sighed.
"It's possible...but Pittacus for sure was involved. I hope they catch that monster." Lysithea bit into her muffin.
"Let us not talk heavy things for now." Mercedes said and turned to Arisa, "We'll be heading back to the academy tomorrow. Dimitri said he wanted to finish some work first before we head back. " she explained.
"In the meantime," Dimitri spoke and smiled, "You're all welcome to explore the city as you like. I heard recently a new art shop opened in the Magic District."
"Oh! I've always been interested in what type of art materials they have here in The Kingdom!" Ignatz said.
"Oh, why don't we go together Ignatz?!" Flayn said exactly, "I also heard there is a lovely cafe in the magic district that serves the best desserts. What is it called again?" Her eyebrows furrow a bit.
"Cafe Blue." Arisa said, "Mercedes and I would go there often after our studies. You'll love it."
"Oh, by the way, where were you?" Hai said as she took a bite of her fish, "I went to your room and knocked but a maid said you had left."
"Oh, that." Arisa chuckled and rubbed the back of her head, "I went to take a walk in the garden. I always did that when I used to live here for a while."
"Did you run into anyone?" Zander asked, "Sometimes my uncle likes to walk there in the morning."
"I did." Arisa smiled softly, "I met Lady Regina."
Skerr!
"You met Aunt Regina?" Dimitri looked at her shocked as his fork came to a screeching halt on his plate.
"What's wrong?" Arisa looked at him, Dedue and Zander confused.
"No! No!" Zander quickly spoke to clear up any misunderstandings, "It's just...Aunt Regina never leaves her room. So hearing you met her in the garden is a surprise."
"Oh." Arisa said as she finally took a bite from her food, " We talked. I like her."
"What did you two talk about?" Dimitri asked.
"Politics. The future. Sylvain." She said.
"Sylvain?!"
Everyone looked at her shocked.
"She told you her story?" Zander suddenly covered his eyes as he rested his left elbow on the table.
"It was easy to figure out." Arisa sighed, "Still, I'm glad I met her. You two" She looked to the brother, "have a good aunt." She smiled.
"Anyway, I'm going to change the subject now." Arisa said her face became serious, "What has happened in the monastery while Flayn and I were gone?"
"Well," Claude began, "just promise you won't murder your brother."
"What did Christian do?" Arisa sighed.
"You see," Dedue spoke, "After the mission at Connad Tower, it was revealed that my sister has a Crest."
Arisa nearly choked on her food. I knew that was coming but she didn't think Sadi unleashing her power would reveal her crest.
"Sadi decided it best if she remained hidden for the rest of the year to avoid eyes and suspicions. She joined the Ashen Wolves. Sylvain has also chosen to join them." Dedue finished.
"Oh, that's alright." Arisa said, " I already spoke to Christian regarding if any of you wish to join his class and that it's alright."
"You know, I think the biggest surprise was that Ferdinand and Marianne chose to join too," Ignatz said.
That she wasn't expecting to hear.
"Lady Rhea also increased security around the monastery system. You can't leave the town without passing through the knights with an identification house card." Ashe pulled out a thin wooden card with his name engraved on it and the symbol of the Blue Lions, "We...also found Lord Lonato's will on a mission in protecting Lady Rhea in the Lands of Gaspar." He muttered and Arisa knew immediately what paralogue he was talking about.
"If it is alright...May I ask what it said?" Arisa asked carefully.
"Lord Lonato declared that his lands and title of Lord were left to me before the Church could confiscate them. Being now a Lord...I don't know how to feel. After everything that has happened, it still feels strange." The gray-haired boy muttered softly.
Before she could say anything a scream was heard in the kitchen. Dimitri and Zander went to check and the maid was frantically screaming she saw a ghost. And out the door came Sothis cackling. Flayn had a disappointing look on her face while Arisa just sighed.
"Guess what?" Sothis sang, "They found the maid that attacked Lady Regina. It's the one I made scream."
"Apologies." Dimitri and Zander walked back to the table and sat down, "We will be speaking with our aunt later on regarding the maid that screamed." And Zander could be heard mumbling about firing the maid.
"Looks like the maid confessed." Arisa thought.
Seems today was going to be a bit long.
[—-]
Walking around Fhiriad brought back memories. Flayn decided to take advantage that Seteth was busy and go on a date with Ignatz to the new art store. Claude had never been to the Magic District before and Ashe decided to show him around. She did warn the boy to make sure Claude did not buy any questionable concoctions. Dimitri and Zander had paperwork to do, much to their dismay and Mercedes offered to show Hai around the city and get to know. Dede has chosen to stay by Dimitri's side. As for Arisa, she headed to the one place she knew she was going to get yelled at for her stupidity.
Emily's clinic.
The clinic was still the same building and it sure brought back memories. She walked into the place, seeing some renovations have been done as well as some people and new employees were tending patients. She walked to the front desk and saw a familiar blue pink head woman who was doing a massive stack of papers, multiple cups of coffee on the table as well as dark circles under her eyes.
"If you have an appointment, just write it down here." She pointed to the wooden bulletin board. on the wall with a list of names and times, "You should have a doctor see you in 30 minutes."
"Sophia." Arisa said and the woman turned to her, "It's been a while"
Sophia's eyes went wide and jumped up quickly.
" Arisa!" The woman broke into a huge grin and hugged the woman, "It's been so long! Look at you! You're a beauty!" She said and Arisa chuckled, "What are you doing here in Fhriad?!"
"Well, I just got back from Albinea." Arisa chuckled, "But I need to see Emily. Is she here?"
"Emily should be in her office on the top fourth floor! Just head up the elevator, then make a turn to the right and then another right. You should arrive at the door." Sophia grinned.
Arisa thanked and walked to the elevator. She always hated the feeling of the elevator when it goes up or down. A few minutes passed and she arrived on the fourth floor. Walking the hallways and making two turns to the right, she arrived at the door.
"She's going to murder me alive," Arisa whispered and knocked.
There was soft "Come in", and in she went. She closed the door and saw the office was similar to the one in the palace but this one was a bit bigger and while new amount seals and spells all over the place. She looked to the desk, where Emily sat, not looking up from the papers she was signing. Her quill moved quickly as she put the signed papers on a different stack.
" Did something happen, Sophia?" Emily said without looking up, "If this is the news about Cornelia getting arrested, I know. I'm very happy and will be drinking myself drunk once I finish all this paperwork." She said.
"Actually." Arisa said and Emily's head snapped up, "Maybe not drink so much?"
"Arisa?!" Emily screeched and Arisa quickly caught the pile of papers that was about to fall, "This is completely unexpected!" She woman quickly stood up, "What are you doing here in Fhiriad?! I thought you would be preparing for the battle of The Eagle and Lion?!"
"Chris never told you?" Arisa said and Emily looked at her confused.
"Never told me what?" Emily said.
"You might want to sit down."
Arisa began telling her what had happened the last two months, how she and Flayn ended up in Albinea, learning more of the Nabatean history before the war. About Hai and learning, she is family as well as...the corruption of her arm and about Arash. Emily's face switches from shocked, to horrified, to angry to one of pity and so many other emotions. Arisa also spoke about the training they went through on their way back to Fodlan how now Flayn is manakete and Hai coming to Fodlan.
"So...Aubin and Zuni had another child before Cirina was born...I have another niece." Emily sighed and covered her eyes and then peaked through her fingers, "So Flayn and this Hai know."
"Yes." Arisa sighed, "I felt it was better telling them the truth after Poe was immediately able to tell I am not from this world. I learned that there are others out there like me but that they are very difficult to find unless we make it obvious. Flayn and Hai have accepted me and have sworn not to say anything for our safety." She finished explaining.
Emily shook her head and leaned back on her chair then looked at Arisa's right arm and then back to the woman.
"Take out The Sword of the Creator." She instructed and Arisa took out the sword, placing it on the table in front of her.
Emily picked it and observed it, gently touching the crystal-like veins. She felt something different from the sword. Arisa did explain to her of the staff Hai gave her to use to fix the sword. The power she was feeling, felt like the same magic Sothis used when she healed the earth. Still, Emily knew that Rhea was going to freak out at the sight of the sword as well as if she learned about the corruption. Rhea wants a pure vessel. A vessel that is not corrupted by anything, let alone magic or be influenced. In this case, Arisa is already corrupted by the dark magic of the sword, the side that Nemesis used to fight against Serios in the war years ago.
"I spoke with Shade." Arisa said and Emily looked up, "We learned that we can get rid of the corruption but I would have to die once." She said.
"Kill and revive." Emily muttered, "It's never a guarantee that you will survive." She sighed, "This Shade, she sounds interesting. I like to meet her one day."
"Unfortunately, Grandmother has banned her from Fodlan. She used to be a professor at the Officers' Academy a few years ago. She taught magic from other worlds to her students and Rhea did not like her teaching methods that brought out the full potential of the students." Arisa said as she crossed her arms, "I'm worried."
"About yourself?" Emily said as she sat back.
"Both." Arisa closed her eyes, "If Rhea finds out about my arm, she is going to freak out. I've already been told by others that security around the monastery system has increased. Chris has been investigating around the place to see if he could dig up some dirt on Solon but no luck." She sighed.
"May I see the seals?" Emily said and Arisa nodded.
She stood up to remove her cloak and began to unbutton her shirt. She was in a bra and Emily stood up to examine her.
"Gods...no...this poison...Sothal..I thought I destroyed that flower." Emily mentally cursed as she observed the glass crack-like scars all over Arisa's chest and back. The worst scar was the one Arash made as if he split her open. She then looked at the woman's wrapped right shoulder and right arm. There was the purple gem cuff, which she figured out worked as a stabilizer of the magic flowing in the arm. The seals, she has never seen them but Arisa explained that they were from a country called Nohr and that they were created to seal away dark magic. The third seals were from a country called Ylisse, which stabilizes the white magic in her body. The fourth seal was designed after the Goddess of Chaos, Yune. Right now, her right arm looked like a normal human wrapped in bandages, healing.
"I sense the strength of this arm is similar to those that have the Crest of Blaiddyd." Emily muttered.
"That's because it does." Arisa looked down to the floor, "I had to relearn the basics of magic, to act like a normal human again as well as multiple beat down to learn to control this new strength. I learned what Dimitri feels when he snaps lances in half." She sighed and Emily gave her a light tap on the back.
A signal to put on her clothing.
"Look." Emily said as Arisa buttoned up her shirt, "What you went through, it is understandable. In any situation like that, one would give in to the cursed power and use it. What I'm worried about is just how much did my mother recover her memories." She said.
"I know...I know about Parvati, Cyrus, Farnir, Orion, and Tiamat. As well as the Outrealm gates of the past." Arisa looked at her and Emily looked at her with wide eyes.
" You learned the names of my brothers and sisters?" The shadows covered the doctor's eyes as her hands balled into a fist.
"Not all of them. Sothis recovered the memories of her origins. But everything else after that, only fragments." Arisa said as she finished up.
"I see." Emily smiled bitterly, "Thank you for telling me this."
"Emily, I wouldn't have hidden this from you. '' Arisa said, "I always planned on telling you." And she went into her purse and pulled out a copy of the book Shade gave her.
She turned to her and placed the book in her hands.
" what's this?" Emily said as she opened it, "I never seen these books and forms of magic." And the excitement was bubbling in her throat.
"Shade has heard about you and decided that it's time to break Rhea's dream of Eternity." Arisa and Emily began grinning, "These are books from different worlds."
"AHHHHHHH!"
On the first floor, Sophia rolled her eyes. She knew that scream that shook the building. It was the scream of excitement and trouble on the way.
"I don't get paid enough for this." Sophia groaned and went back to work.
"All these spells and new formulas!" Emily looked back to Arisa, "I can use this!"
"But study the damn thing first. I heard from Glenn last time you tried some unknown spell you set half the palace garden on fire!" Arisa chuckled and Emily cringed at the memory of when she was a 12-year-old girl.
"So um...do you want to meet your niece?" Arisa smiled and Emily nodded.
"Of course."
— Magic District-
"So you're all Arisa's students. Huh, cheeky little ones." Hai said as her elbows were on the table and she rested her chin on her hands, "Fodlan is different from Albinea. The cold here is like summer to me."
The students (minus Dedue and Dimitri) were in the usual cafe Arisa and Mercedes would go to in the old days. They said they would meet up there for lunch. Claude studied her appearance. She reminded him of Alexandra. The blue-colored hair and eyes as well as the use of ice and water magic. What kind of threw him off was how much seafood the woman ate.
"Um, Miss Hai, what is Albinea like? Just how different is it from Fodlan?" Ignatz asked as he was sketching a bit in his notebook.
"Very different really." Hai smiled, "I noticed that there aren't any kitsune, wolf skin, Laguz, or any mythical walking around. In Albinea, those clans walk around like normal people. They work and live peacefully with humans and help each other out. Very different from here. I didn't like the stares I was given. Fodlan...doesn't exactly feel welcoming." She muttered.
"What do you mean?" Mercedes asked and boy was Hai glad that Flayn had returned to the palace to speak to her father.
"Do you believe in dragons?" Hai said and the others blinked.
"Dragons, as in overgrown wyvern?" Claude said and Hai had the most offended look in the world, "Sorry Sorry!"
"How rude! Calling Dragons oversized wyvern?! Ya children learn to respect the stories of old! Hmph! Now I will not say anything about them!" Hai hugged and crossed her arms.
"Nice going Claude!" Lysithea glared at the House Leader, "I apologize for my friend. Please continue."
"I don't feel like it anymore." Hai said and Lysithea was ready for Dark Spike Claude, "But...I am surprised to see those with Blood Runes."
"Blood Runes?" Mercedes looked at her confused and Hai nodded.
"You people of Fodlan call them Crest," Hai said and everyone jumped to talk at the same time.
"There are people outside of Fodlan with crests?!"
"Tell us more!"
"What is the history of the outside world!?"
"What's it like beyond the sea?!"
"Tell us more about the Blood runes?!"
"Whoa! Whoa!"
Everyone turned to see Arisa walking in and looking at them shocked.
"Why are you all pouncing on Hai like this?! And where's Flayn?!" She said as she sat down next to her friend.
"Flayn had to go back to the castle to speak with Seteth." Lysithea said, "But Hai here was telling us about crests and how they are called Blood Runes in Albinea."
Arisa gave Hai a "Really?" face and the woman just shrugged.
"Might as well give them a small taste of the world out there. They may be kids now but in five years they will be adults, leaders, knights, and such." Hai hummed.
" Don't remind me." Arisa sighed, "Anyhow," she turned back to them, "Did you all enjoy my battle lesson plans?"
"UUGGGHHHHH!"
"Hahahahaha!" Arisa burst out laughing at how they all began groaning, "Well I'm glad you all had fun!"
"Professor you're evil! Do you realize how many times I ended up ramming into Hubert and then crashing into Caspar?!" Lysithea looked like a cherry.
"I got hit too many times by a sword, had to stop Edelgard and Hilda from getting into a fight." Claude groaned.
"Selkie kept mixing our bows and someone mixed the wrong wax. Forrest then mixed up the order of tomes." Ashe said and Ignatz wanted to hide the battle from last week was his fault.
He accidentally set the crates on fire when he was practicing a fire spell.
"And Dimitri and Edelgard kept arguing over strategies in the same team and then Yuri managed to somehow mix itching powder into a smoke bomb to steal last week's victory." Mercedes sighed, "It was horrible getting rid of the powder out of my hair!" Mercedes shivered at the memory.
"Oh, you poor kids." Arisa feigned pity and they all just gave her a blank face, "But in all seriousness, you all noticed any change in your stats?" She smiled.
"I got faster at casting magic!" Lysithea said and Mercedes nodded, "Our range in healing spells greatly grew."
"Us archers, our eyesight improved," Claude smirked as he put his arms around Ignatz and Ashe, who laughed.
"See?" Arisa smiled, "That was the point. For you all to adapt quickly in any kind of situation."
"They do know how to swim right?" Hai looked at Arisa and then them, "Don't get me wrong but swimming is an essential skill. It helps increase their stamina as well as better control of the magic flow of the earth. I think if they learn Ylisse white magic, they may have better control." She said.
"Ylisse?" The group said and Arisa sighed but smiled.
"Let's just say, when we get back to the academy, I will be teaching you new lessons from other countries." She had never seen them so excited.
"Anyway, waiter!" Arisa raised her hand and the waiter quickly came, "You can take our order now." And she turned back to her other, "It's lunchtime so let's eat!"
And the group broke into cheers.
- Palace -
Tick.
Tock.
Tick.
Tock.
"Argh!"
"Zander, whining is not going to get this paperwork done," Dimitri said as he continued to sign papers as well as read through the documents that were brought in a few minutes ago.
He fixed his glasses and looked up, seeing his brother laying his face on the desk, groaning.
Dimitri may not be king yet but seeing how his uncle is behind on work, he is already tasked with signing papers and reading documents that only the king can do. It was also a form of training to prepare him for the amount of paperwork he will have in the future.
"Amir, save me from this pile of work! My love!" Zander dramatically raised his hands to the ceiling and Dimitri just slumped his head. He looked around the office, it brought back memories of when his father would work here and they would sneak in. Now, it was his office.
Knock. Knock.
"Come in," Dimitri said and the door was open.
In came Regina holding a tray with two cups of tea, a few books, and snacks. Zander quickly sat up straight the minute he saw her. She is the one that taught him etiquette and boy was she strict.
"Aunt Regina." Dimitri smiled softly, "It's good to see you. Is everything alright?"
"Fine. I'm worried about you two." Regina said as she walked up to Zander's desk and placed the cup of tea on it along with a bowl of fruits and a book, "You boys have not left this office all day. It's almost 4 in the afternoon." Zander thanked her and she went to Dimitri's desk to do the same.
"Huh." Zander looked out the window seeing the orange sky, "I guess we have been here all day."
Dimitri removed his glasses to rub his eyes a bit. He picked up his cup and took a sip. However, he did not recognize the scent of the tea.
"Passion fruit tea from my homeland." Regina smiled softly when saw the confused faces her nephews were making, "It's like sweet tea. It gives you energy but also helps you relax." She got a chair and sat down, "How have been things for you both? Everything alright?"
"No." Both said and she raised an eyebrow at them.
"Other than paperwork, I've been worried lately about the increase in the disappearances of people. I know Cornelia was suspicious but I didn't think it would be that bad. Dimitri," Zander looked to his brother, "How did you know where to start investing?"
Dimitri bit his lips and spoke. Lady Regina was one of the most trustworthy people because of her wisdom. Surely he could also trust his brother with this information.
"My professor, his name is Christian. He is Professor Arisa's older brother. He helped me start the investigation on Cornelia and helped me get Margrave Gautier to help us with the investigation from the shadows." Dimitri noticed Zander frowning.
"Professor Christian, I know him. His mercenary team was hired 2 years ago by our uncle to take out some bandits near the borders. I've worked with him." Zander sat down as he crossed his arms, "And I know who exactly he works for."
"Chris von Hersvelg, you stepbrother."
Both whipped their heads to Lady Regina, who closed her eyes, a frown on her face, which was rare.
" I'm not a fool boys. The tragedy from four years ago was not normal. Especially since your step-sister and stepbrother were attacked that same day. To be honest, I suspect Cornelia was also involved by how agitated she seemed during the panic that were all going through. I never liked the woman. During my early days here, she kept trying to befriend me but most of all," she looked up to them, "She kept asking me about the legends of the wind god from my home."
"Arisa did mention that Cornelia wanted to learn about her magic methods." Dimitri thought and looked to his aunt, "Did Cornelia ever mention anything about magic to you?"
"Let me think..." Regina closed her eyes and thought for a moment, "I'm not sure if this counts but...the Crest of Chevalier and the Crest of Macuil."
"She was researching those crests? Why?" Zander said and went quickly to the shelf taking out a book, "It says that Saint Hmyra had the crest of chevalier just like Apostle Chevalier. However, Saint Macuil never once passed down his crest." He closed the book, "Lost crest."
"This is getting more confusing." Dimitri muttered as he intertwined his fingers, "Could this be connected to that group called Those Who Slither in the Dark?"
"Peace is never an option." Regina sighed, "Things are going to get harder from here on out, and solving Cornelia's case is the first. Has her office been checked yet?"
"Not yet." Zander said, "The number of barriers that place had Emily screaming a storm of curses along with the mages of the church."
"I see. Ufu~" Regina chuckled a bit, "I'm glad you boys are talking. Compared to how you were 5 years ago, you were also so reserved. You held your emotions in and hurt seeing you kids destroy yourselves. But now..." she looked up to them, "I see leaders. Leaders who listen and speak to one another. Who trust and work together. I'm proud of you all even if my face has a difficult time showing it."
"Thank you, Aunt Regina. Truly, it means a lot to us." The princes said.
Regina smiled but suddenly took out her fan, her eyes suddenly glinted.
"So I also heard you boys already have eyes on ladies you want to court?!"
"Run Dimitri run!"
Dimitri and Zander had never bolted so fast towards the door. It was as if a demonic beast was chasing them.
"Come back here you two! We need to speak out this thoroughly!"
— Two Weeks Later -
Returning to the monastery brought some panic to Arisa. She worried about how Rhea would react to Hai. She worried if the seals hid her arm well enough. She worried about how things have changed as well as the amount of paperwork she will be doing. She rode the horse that was lent to her a bit ahead. The others were behind her. How would her family react once she is back? She subconsciously touched her right shoulder.
"Everything alright Professor?" Dimitri made his horse catch up to her, "I've noticed you touch your right arm constantly. Did you injure yourself?" He asked.
"Just an old wound from years ago." Arisa sighed, "Dimitri, I'm worried."
"Why do you say that?" He asked and Arisa looked at him concerned.
"Because of me, Rhea has become even more paranoid. She's increased security around the monetary system and I can only imagine how tense the place feels. Not only that, I learned about the mission that happened in Gaspar." She saw him frown, " Just how much has changed because of me?"
"It is not your fault Arisa." Dimitri said, "If anything, it is the fault of the Death Knight, Pittacus, and those who have attacked us. I know you feel guilty but you shouldn't." He reassured her.
"I don't know. I just can't help it." She sighed, "Anyhow, since when do you and my brother get along? I thought you two were on bad terms."
" Well..." Dimitri chuckled a bit nervously, "we've spoken to one another properly and met halfway."
"I see," Arisa said suddenly she felt the urge to scream.
You know what, she needed it.
"AAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"Whoooa!"
"Are we under attack?!"
"Ah, I feel so much better." Arisa sighed blissfully and turned back to the others, " Sorry about that! Everything is fine! I just needed to scream." She said.
"Why did you need to scream?! You scared the hell out of us!" Beleth said as he got ahead a bit, "But seriously, your screaming sounded like something weighing on your mind. You're worried about my mother, aren't you?"
"Beleth, we all are. Have you seen the amount of security she has added to the monastery? It's as if war is coming." Dimitri said and Arisa flinched a bit.
"Seteth and I will talk to her again once we reach the monastery. I honestly think is being too paranoid and it needs to stop." Beleth said and looked ahead of the road, "Speaking of my mother, HEADS UP! 10 minutes till we reach the monastery!" He yelled so everyone could hear.
Sandana made her horse go-ahead to be next to Arisa.
"Be honest with me." Sandana whispered, "Something happened in Albinea, didn't it?"
"...Later," Arisa whispered back.
The monastery never looked so dark. With the way things are going, Arisa knows...
Peace will never be an option.